I first met Michael Rutzen and his family soon after arriving in Gansbaai where I was due to start work as a temporary research assistant for the ‘White Shark Trust’. He was hosting a braai (a traditional South African barbeque), the first of many that I would come to experience during my stay. “Nobody does a braai as well as the South Africans”, he warned possessively when I dared to inspect the gently grilling chicken. “And nobody runs a shark diving venture quite as well as I do” he added. Confidence? Well may be, but anyone who free-dives (and that means without SCUBA equipment and without the protection of a cage) with large Great Whites and performs ‘mouth-opening’ on a regular basis has to have some degree of self-confidence and a liberal application of bravado.

I was fortunate enough to accompany Michael Rutzen, his brother Franky, and cousin Morne Hardenberg on their vessel Stan on the several occasions when trips on the ‘White Shark Trust’ vessel had been cancelled. Whilst taking photos of dorsal fins for later scientific analysis, I was always keen to hear the stories that this team related to their clients. The friendly, family atmosphere pervades the boat and is the essence of their success. I was lucky enough to get to know the crew and learnt a great deal about sharks whilst with them during my short stay in Gansbaai.

Every day Stan leaves Kleinbaai harbour under the ever-watchful guidance of the skipper, Franky who has many years experience at sea, first as a fisherman and over more recent years involved in commercial shark diving tours. His role is pivotal as he judges the weather conditions and currents when making the crucial decision where to set anchor. This will dictate from where the ‘chum slick’ will carry the most successfully. This is important because without a clear signal the sharks will not come. Stan’s ‘calling card’ is sent drifting along the currents as the oils of fish extracts such as shark liver and dead snoek that form the ‘chum slick’. Further attractants in the form of a plastic decoy (shaped to mimic the outline of a seal) and a large piece of meat (often the severed head of a cow shark) are attached by nylon and rope respectively to the stern of the boat. The decoy is a visual stimulus, forming a silhouette of a prey species on the surface (although various other shapes including a human outline would do just as well!). The tethered bait acts as a further olfactory ‘dinner bell’ complementing the chum slick. However, it serves another purpose that will become apparent to all on board when a shark approaches.

When a sharks comes the laughing and joking onboard Stan stops and an air of nervous anticipation and excitement surrounds the boat. Michael and Morne have been here many times before. They explain that it is important not to be noisy and not to lean over the boat. From the shark’s perspective, after following the ‘scent’ of a dead animal for several miles, the silhouette of a large object is not likely to be a boat carrying tourists, but possibly a dead or injured whale or another shark. The shark is wary, as other (possibly bigger) sharks may be in the local vicinity, and will be easily startled by waving arms and excited calls and shouts that project from the floating silhouette. The shark may swim away when confronted with unfamiliar sights and sounds. With consideration, however, most people remain quiet and the sharks become more and more interested, first in the decoy, and then the bait.

The decoy is pulled aboard. There is no point losing it to a vertical assault from a pair of gaping jaws, although I did see a thigh-sized chunk bitten out of one when the bait handler was distracted. Now it is time for Michael or Morne to bring the shark in as close as possible to enable the clients to snap silver-halide, digital, motion or simply commit shots to memory that will last a lifetime. The Great White is lured closer and closer to Stan by the bait-handler expertly using the tempting tethered meat. The shark repeatedly strives and lunges for the bait, which is held just in front of the snout and grasping jaws. Eventually, the shark is tempted up close to the stern of the boat when the bait is pulled out of the water. Sometimes the shark turns abruptly and circles, attracted back to the bait once thrown back into the ocean. Sometimes the shark will dive under the boat at the last minute, only to reappear from the depths when least expected. Sometimes, the shark follows the bait, raising its gaping jaws out of the water. Gently, the bait-handler will place a palm on the snout of the shark. This was originally done to prevent a shark hitting one of the outboard motors, but has since been developed into a performance that few others have been able to master. The shark is acting as it would in nature when attacking an already mortally wounded prey. The eyes roll back into the skull as a means of protecting them, possibly from a frantic flipper of a cape fur seal. Momentarily the shark blindly seeks its prey, and a palm of a bait-handler on its snout stimulates it to seek its moving target. Sometime the shark rears several feet out of the water in an attempt to grasp its elusive quarry.

Once the shark shows relaxed and regular interest in the bait, the diving cage can be lowered into the water with little disturbance. Many people have travelled all over the world to have a chance to cage dive with the Great Whites of Gansbaai. Few return disappointed. A diver gets into the cage, his / her breathing quickens under the effects of adrenalin and the cool sea temperature. The advice is to take long, deep breaths and to exhale slowly as a curious shark can be scared off by a sudden burst of bubbles from mouthpiece. Eventually the silhouette of the most terrifying animal in the ocean looms slowly out of the turbid depths. Anyone who is lucky enough to see a shark in its own environment will be struck not by its menace, but by its beauty. I was fortunate enough to experience this dramatic scene, and will always be indebted to Michael, Morne and Franky for giving me the opportunity to accompany them into the world of the Great White.

Many Thanks.

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